Whole30: Gimmick or the Real Deal? My 6 Biggest Takeaways

So you're considering the Whole30 diet, eh? A bold move. 30 days with no dairy, no grains, no alcohol, no sugar (not even stevia or honey), no processed foods, or legumes. Proponents of the diet tout it as a reset and a way to identify food sensitivities. Skeptics claim it reinforces negative conditioning around food. I air on the side of skepticism with an open mind.

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of diets. As a nutrition coach, I think it encourages a negative mentality around food. For me in particular, I've had a history with disordered eating, as I know many women around me have as well. When I was in high school my friend and I tried the Atkins diet as a way to slim down while essentially living off of In N' Out. That same year I purchased a bottle of Trim Spa - the diet pill popularized by Anna Nicole Smith in the early 2000's. While not a good move for me, even worse - my dog wound up finding the bottle and it ended in an (expensive) emergency trip to the animal hospital ER. (He was fine, thank God.) During the time I grew up, heroin chic was in and the thinner you were, the better. This is problematic for so many reasons, but as I've grown older and wiser, one of the main take aways has been that there is no cure-all for weight loss or body image issues. No magic pill or diet that is going to solve all of your problems. The answer is simple and yet can feel extremely frustrating to implement. The solution is in living a balanced life and prioritizing healthy choices. It doesn't mean you can't eat what you want, but it does mean choosing to do so in moderation because you know the trade-off. Eating healthy FEELS GOOD. Your body loves it and after the first couple transitionary weeks, your body adjusts and starts craving those healthier options.

So, all of this to say - I don't particularly care for restricted eating for short periods of time. I prefer guiding my clients into making better choices as a part of their lifestyle - forever ideally. Diets lead to yo-yo eating, weight fluctuations, and negative conditioning about food. They can be stressful and create feelings of shame when not strictly adhered to.

Soo, why did I choose to try Whole30?! Well, two of my friends were doing it - they wanted moral support and I thought it would be useful to know what my clients go through when/ if they chose to partake. Disclaimer: I chose to do 24 days, as I have a trip to NY on the 25th day and well, I love food way too much to miss out on that. So, here I am on day 24 and here are my top takeaways.

1. It's hard. I know this may seem obvious, but it's important to mentally prepare yourself for a month of limited eating out and socializing, a lot of lettuce wraps and eggs, and for the first two weeks to be less than amazing (It does start to feel better after the first 12 or so days.

2. You probably will lose weight. It's not what the diet's main intention is, nor was it mine, but I lost around 3lbs of fat during these 24 days while still eating a lot and as a woman on the slimmer side to start (as did my friends.)

3. You might get moody. I certainly did a few times in the first couple of weeks. Coincidence? Perhaps, but Whole30 has a timeline for the various stages you will go through on this diet and my partner actually remarked it was surprising how accurate they were. Referencing this can be helpful to know what to expect.

4. It can be effective in determining food sensitivities. As part of the Whole30 plan, they support a reintroduction phase - where you slowly reintroduce the various foods you had eliminated to determine if any of them may be upsetting you regularly. This I feel is the most beneficial aspect of any elimination diet, and the main reason to implement. Elimination diets are the main way to do this unless you partake in sensitivity tests which can be expensive and difficult to find depending where you live.

5. You might become one of "those people" who bring their own ranch to a sports bar. Or maybe you might avoid sports bars altogether, which would be wise. I decided to do my Whole30 in September, which also happens to be football season, and the odds of me not going to watch at least one game at my usual spot was low. My Whole30 ally and I went, we brought our own Whole30 approved ranch, and to be honest - I preferred the wings without our sad girl ranch, but to each his own!

6. The feeling of victory is sweet. I must say it's a good feeling to put your mind to anything and actually see it through. It's gratifying to complete it, and to see the fruits of your labor. I do feel good at the tail end of this journey. I am proud of myself for seeing it through. Would I do it again? Probably not. But the components it advocates for - more whole, unprocessed food, less sugar and alcohol, less ingredients on packaging, more satisfying meals, awareness around food choices, etc. are things I'm 1000% behind. I may just also, every once in a while, want some nachos to go along with my salad.

Finally, one of the most important questions to go along with this diet is what do you do after if's over? If you end up binging on all the foods that you avoided for 30 days, then it's not very effective. If it brings you a new awareness about what you put into your body and you slowly reintroduce foods with intention and curiosity about what affects you, then I'd say it's had a positive impact. Ultimately, it all comes back to what habits and actions you take daily to take care of your body, outside of any trending diet plan. If you'd like support to create lasting change, I'm here for you.